Using VoiceOver with Bookshare on macOS

VoiceOver commands are generally performed by pressing the Ctrl and Option keys at the same time as at least one other key. When you press the Ctrl and Option keys together, that combination is referred to as the VoiceOver key (VO key for short). Please note if you have changed the default VO keys on your Mac, you'll need to use your combination instead of Ctrl and Option when you see VO in the commands that follow.

Open Safari and navigate to Bookshare’s website:

  1. Press VO + D to navigate to your dock.
  2. Press S until you hear Safari, then press Enter.
  3. Press Command + L to navigate to the address bar.
  4. Type in www.bookshare.org, then press Enter.

Log in to your Bookshare account:

  1. Press VO + Command + L to navigate to the Log In link, then press VO + Space to activate it.
  2. Enter your Bookshare username, then press Tab and enter in your Bookshare password.
  3. Press Tab to move to the Remember Me checkbox, then VO + Space to check it if you wish to have Bookshare remember your login information.
  4. Press Tab to move to the Sign In button, then VO + Space to activate it.

Follow the instructions below to search for and download a book:

  1. Insure you’re at the top of the page by pressing Command + Up Arrow, then press VO + Left arrow or Tab to move through the site until you reach the “Title, author, or ISBN” text field.
  2. Type in the title, author, or ISBN of the book you wish to search for. Press VO + Right arrow or Tab to move to the search button, then VO + Space to activate it.
  3. The next page will display your search results. Each result is its own heading, so you can navigate by heading (VO + Command + H) to locate the book you’d like to download.
  4. To learn more about a book, press VO + Right arrow to move through the author information and synopsis.
  5. Once you’ve located a book, press VO + Command + J to move to the download format combo box, then VO + Space to activate it.
  6. Once you’re in the combo box, use the VO + Up arrow or VO + Down arrow to navigate through the download formats.

After selecting a format using VO + Space, press VO + Right arrow to move to the Download button, then press VO + Space to begin the download. If you chose DAISY Text or BRF, your book will immediately download to your computer. If you chose any other format, you’ll be taken to your My History page, where you’ll then select the Available link next to the status of the book, to begin the download.

If you downloaded the book in DAISY Text format, it is necessary to rename the .XML file to .HTML, which will allow you to open and display the book in your web browser:

  1. Press Command + Option + L to open your Downloads folder. 
  2. Locate your book folder by pressing the first letter of its title, then Command + O to open it.
  3. Locate the file ending with .XML by pressing the first letter or Down Arrow, then press Enter, which will place you in an edit box.
  4. Use your right arrow key to move to the end of the file name, erase the XML and replace it with HTML so the file reads “title.HTML” and press Enter.
  5. When prompted whether you’d like to change the extension type to .html, select the Use .html extension button., then press VO + Space to activate it.
  6. Insure your cursor is on that .HTML file, then press Command + O to open it in your web browser.
  7. Once the book is opened, you can navigate through it by headings with VO + Command + H, and/or, activate links to navigate to various sections.

Note: To insure books are read and displayed correctly, all files within the book folder must remain in their original folder. Do not move the .XML file to a different location or folder. You can however, move the entire folder if you wish.

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